17 DAY 90

I'D BUY YOUR ROGAINE WHEN YOU START LOSING ALL YOUR HAIR

One of my friends and I had plan to visit Washington D.C. this weekend. My friend canceled on me on the last minute, typical of her capricious nature.

Instead of a weekend at Washington D.C., another friend and I

Plan A failed. Thank goodness there was a Plan B. I and another friend of mine, we went to grab pizza, Prince Street Pizza. The pizza place was tiny. They served two type of pizza. However, the place was packed. On the wall hung many pictures of celebrities who had stopped by for slice of their pizza.

I wanted noodle soup. From the pizza place, we made our way to Chinatown. On the way to Chinatown, we walked by an Indian restaurant, Kabab Bites. My friend told me that the food is great. We permanently detoured from the noodle shop and settled in Kabab Bites. The food was okay. I had to pee before dinner. I had to walk through the kitchen to use the restroom.

I wanted to chat. But I did not want to chat in the Indian restaurant. I suggested that we go back to dessert place that we walked by earlier. We had a cheesecake. It was delicious.

​★

17 DAY 88

NEW MOON

Warm UpWe ran. We snatched. We jumped.

StrengthFind 3rm touch-and-go power snatch in 15:00.3 x 75 (60% of Max Snatch) / 3 x 85 (68%) / 3 x 95 (76%) / 3 x 100 (80%) / 3 x 105 (84%) / 3 x 115 (92%)(I was very happy about the power snatches with the 115-pound weight. The weight did not feel terribly heavy. A few weeks ago, when my gym programmed CrossFit Open Workout 15.1, I scaled the weight to 85-pound. At the time, I was unsure if I could snatch the 115-pound weight more than once. All in all, tonight's class was a huge confidence booster.)

I completed 7 rounds. I broke up the reps for the wallballs twice. They were unintentional. I missed the catch. I completed the rest of the movements unbroken.

I felt great on the hang power snatches. I lost the speed that I once had. Though my form felt very solid.)

★ / 9 / 12 / 18 / 46 / 99 / 100 / 101 / 102 / 103 / 104 / 105 / 106

17 DAY 85

BE THE BEST PERSON YOU CAN BE

Warm UpWe ran a bunch.

Some people call it grapevine. I call it karaoke. (I spoke with good intention. I acted with good intention. Sometimes, the person on the receiving end does not take my gesture the right way. But there is only so much I have control over.)

17 DAY 84

I HAVE A STRONG FEELING

Warm Up​100 x Jumping Jack

Warm Up / ConditioningEMOM (5:00)13 x Burpee(I was only able to complete 10 burpees in the fourth minute. That was when I stopped the clock and terminated the EMOM. My quickest completion time for the 13 burpees was 45 seconds.)

Conditioning0.25-mile run <at 5:56/mile pace>15 x dumbbell deadlift <with 2 35-pound dumbbells>0.25-mile run <at 5:56/mile pace>15 x dumbbell hang clean <with 2 35-pound dumbbells>Complete 2 rounds.{12:30}(I was not content with the time. I took long breaks between the run and the dumbbell movements. I had to stop the treadmill midway through the third run. My shoe laces came untied.

OSTRICH / AND WHO DO YOU SHARE YOUR FEELINGS WITH?

My CrossFit gym hosted a Close of the Open Party celebrating the end of the 2017 CrossFit Open. The party started at our CrossFit gym with drink, food and dessert. I held some what I thought were great conversations with some of my classmates. The beer helped.

I did not participate in the Open last year. However, I did stop by last year's Close to the Open Party. I did not know anyone then. I awkwardly stood by the table where they had laid out the food and the drink. I stuffed my face with two slices of pizza and a few donuts and subsequently left the party.

And there, I was moonstruck.

At approximately 8:00, the party migrated to Stout, a nearby bar, for continuing celebration. I had a third beer at Stout. Before the night ended, I had two more shots on top of my three beers. As the night went on, conversations became increasingly shallow. I became increasingly insincere. Then, I wanted to leave. I was texting another classmate at the time. He could not make it to the party for personal reasons. We decided to see a movie together. I left Stout at approximately 9:00.

On our way to the theater, we took a detour to Whole Foods, where I bought my dinner.

​​★ / 1 / 9 / 12

17 DAY 82

FRIDAY BLUES

Warm UpA bunch of crap.(I was having a case of the Friday blues. My co-workers were drinking in the pantry. I was stalking an Olympic speed skater on Instagram at my desk. I began to feel unwell. I decided to briefly join my co-workers for a drink to ease my troubled mind. The conversations were fun. I had a beer.

I grabbed an empty bar from the rack. I carefully muscle-cleaned the bar to my shoulder. The pain was instantaneous. I decided then to not participate in CrossFit Open Workout 17.5.

I put away the bar and subsequently migrated to the third floor. I watched and cheered on my classmates who were participating in the Open WOD.)

17 DAY 81

MAYBE I MASTURBATE TOO MUCH

Should I or should I not participate in CrossFit Workout 17.5?

During the first few weeks of my hand injury, my right hand hurts performing the following movements: clean, overhead squat, plank and turning door knobs. I overhead squatted last night during the first warm up. I planked Tuesday night as part of the push-ups. I turned a door knob just a few minutes ago. My right hand was okay all three times. The last time I felt pain in my right hand was last Monday, during the front squats.

Even if my right hand is healthy, I do not think I can complete 350 double unders in 40:00. I lost my rhythm for the double unders post my back injury. I have not put in that much effort since to relearn the movement.

And lastly, my shoulders are still wrecked from Wednesday's push-ups, and my legs are sore from last night's endurance WOD.

​​★

17 DAY 80

I GOTTA FEELING

Warm Up IA bunch of crap.

Strength I3 Position Snatch <from just above the knee, from just below the knee, and from the ground>{65 (52% of Max Snatch) / 75 (60%) / 85 (68%) / 95 (76%) / 100 (80%) (P / P / F) / 100 / 100}(My form was a complete mess, especially at the bottom of my overhead squat, the receiving position of a snatch. My heels were coming off of the floor. My knees were collapsing inward.

My shoulders were wrecked from yesterday's 100 push-ups.

I missed my first snatch from the ground with the 100-pound weight. I made 3 attempts and missed all 3 attempts.)

Conditioning IIAMRAP (4:00)8 x Box Jump with Step Down <with 24-inch box>8 x Toes-to-Bar{3+12}(My goal was to complete 4 rounds. In other words, I was not content with the result. I had a tough time holding onto the bar for the toes-to-bars.)

I completed the first 8 wallballs unbroken. For the next 3 to 4 rounds, I do not remember clearly the exact number of rounds, I completed the 8 medicine ball cleans and the 8 subsequent wallballs unbroken. It was a much tougher combination than I anticipated.)​​​★ / 9 / 12 / 18 / 46 / 99 / 100 / 101 / 102 / 103 / 104 / 105 / 106

17 DAY 79

I FEEL IT COMING

Warm Up / ConditioningEMOM (10:00)10 x Burpee{0:40-0:50}

Conditioning I100 x Decline Sit-up{6:08}(My goal was to complete the 100 decline sit-ups in under 6:00.)

Conditioning II50/leg x Pistol Squat{6:26}(I lost my speed and rhythm. I simply could not move as quickly as I used to. I was not content with the time.)

Conditioning III100 x Push-up{12:48}(I used to have an easier time with push-ups. That was before I started CrossFit. Sometimes I feel that I am becoming stronger. Sometimes I feel that I am becoming weaker. I was not content with the time. At the same time, the result was expected.)

Accessory​50/arm x row <with Row machine and 45-pound weight>(I threw in some light pulling at the end of the workout to balance out all of the pushing.)

​​★ / 18 / 46 / 99 / 100 / 101 / 102 / 103 / 104 / 105 / 106

LET HER BE GOD TOO

A woman was having a hard time while making her way up the subway stairs. She was carrying a stroller. There was a baby sleeping in the stroller. I walked by and offered to help. We carried the stroller up two flights of stairs. I ended up missing my train.

80

17 DAY 78

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT

I was sitting in the waiting room. The thought of writing about the surgery crossed my mind. The thought of it was freeing.

I was sitting in the waiting room of my plastic surgeon's office. I was waiting to receive nipple correction surgery for my right nipple. My right nipple is significantly larger than my left nipple. This was my third operation. The procedure is a lot more complicated than you might imagine. I consulted with four plastic surgeons in the New York City area prior to selecting my current doctor. None of the plastic surgeons, including my current doctor, had a definite solution to my problem. Over the past years, I came to understand that there are limitations to what the doctor and plastic surgery can do. With that understanding, I slowly came to accept the abnormality for what it is.

Some people have real problems.

At the end of the day, I have one life to live. I just cannot let my fear of everything hold me back any longer.

​​​★

17 DAY 77

GOD, PLEASE MAKE IT GOOD

I ate the most expensive brunch today. I ate $16-$20 worth of food and paid $32. Only if I knew that we were splitting the bill evenly, I would have ordered more food.

We had brunch at Westville West in Chelsea, Manhattan. The food was very okay.

​​​★ / 9 / 12 / 57.44

17 DAY 76

BACK TO WORK

Warm UpPost 17.4 lower back recovery exercises as prescribed by Mike Bjerregaard's physiotherapist. There were 3 exercises. The Instagram post called for 3 sets of 20 repetitions of each exercise.

Warm Up / ConditioningEMOM (10:00)10 x Burpee(I completed the first round in 46 seconds. I ended the EMOM at the end of the 8th minute. I could not complete the prescribed 10 burpees in a minute. I completed only 8 reps in the 8th minute.)

One Arm Dumbbell Muscle Snatch <alternating>5 x 5/arm x 35Complete each set in 4:00.(The rep scheme was supposed to be 5 sets of 8 reps. The first round of the second strength session was so hard, I changed the rep scheme on the fly.)

ONE MORE TIME

After gym, I met up with a classmate from CrossFit. We ate lunch at Buns Bar in Chelsea, Manhattan. Supposedly, the restaurant is famous for their milkshakes. We each ordered a milkshake in addition to a plate of mac and cheese with lobster bits and a side of home-cut french fries. The milkshake was very okay.

Subsequently, we travelled to West Village, Manhattan. My classmate wanted to check out a vintage clothing shop. From the boutique, we travelled further downtown to Oculus. I had wanted to visit the train station/shopping mall since its grand opening. I was happy that we got to do that.

The best part about Saturday night was iPic, a newly opened, high-end, dined-in theater by South Street Seaport. Their food was delicious. We ordered a side of the sweet potato fries, fried calamari and pork sliders. You can order alcoholic beverage as well. However, I did not want to drink alcohol. We watched Kong: Skull Island. The movie was very okay. On the other hand, I really enjoy the dine-in theater experience.

I was so hungry. I bought a snack from our gym's vending machine just before the start of the class.​My legs felt soft. I was not sure if it was from the hunger or the nerve.

The 205-pound weight felt like air during Tuesday night's strength session. The same weight felt a lot heavier during Friday night's warm up. I had a noticeably tougher time pulling the weight off of the floor, compare to Tuesday's night.

I was very cautious during tonight's Open workout, particularly on the deadlifts. I simply cannot hurt my back again.

I did everything I could on the deadlifts given my condition at the time. I could have attacked the wallballs harder by completing larger sets.

On another note, many of my wallballs did not hit the designated target. Those should have been counted as no-reps.

17 DAY 74

NEW YORK CITY, PLEASE GO EASY ON ME

I knew it! I knew 17.4 was going to be a repeat of 16.4. My goal for 17.4 is to complete 165 reps.

Nothing particularly exciting happened today.

​​★

17 DAY 73

JOURNEY TO THE WEST

Warm Up / ConditioningEMOM (10:00)10 x Burpee(My quickest and slowest split times for the 10 burpees were respectively 38 and 48 seconds.

My left arm was mad about something during the burpees today.)

ConditioningEMOM (8:00)10 x Dumbbell Power Clean <with 2 55-pound dumbbells> [scaled: 8 x Dumbbell Power Clean <with 2 55-pound dumbbells>](I stopped the EMOM 5 reps into the fourth round. My form was giving up. The 55-pound dumbbells were significantly heavier than I had anticipated. I selected the weight based on how easy the dumbbell power cleans were with the 50-pound dumbbells during CrossFit Open Workout 17.2.

I had been so good about lifting with proper form. Needless to say, I was a little disappointed at myself tonight. My lower back is furious right now.)

​AccessoryAMRAP (5:00)1 x Decline Sit-up{82}

​​★ / 18 / 46 / 99 / 100 / 101 / 102 / 103 / 104 / 105 / 106

17 DAY 72

NOW GOD, LET ME FIND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT IS MISSING

Bonus / Warm Up50-calorie row

Warm UpA selection of warm up exercises with a 16-kilogram kettlebell.(I almost died.)

StrengthRomanian Deadlift8 x 135 / 8 x 185 (on 2-inch plates) / 8 x 205 (on 2-inch plates) / 8 x 205 (on 2-inch plates)(I touch-and-go-ed the first half of the set of 185. My coach walked by and told me to not touch the floor with plates. I completed the rest of the deadlifts without touching the floor with the plates.)

17 DAY 70

SOME PEOPLE HAVE REAL PROBLEMS

Some people have real problems.

I lost my house keys yesterday. It has only been a week since I moved into my new apartment. I had a mini panic attack when I realized that I lost the keys. I was switching trains, from the W to the 7, when I realized that the keys were missing. I immediately rode the train back to Manhattan. I walked to the office and subsequently to Planet Fitness to look for the missing keys. Lastly, I walked to CrossFit NYC. The gym was closed by then.

I woke up early this morning and made another trip to CrossFit NYC to look for the keys. I was so sure that I dropped the keys at the gym. However, I was having no luck. I am praying that the cleaning crew from the night before found them.

My roommate is drunk. He has been drinking all day today by himself. God, help him.

I still feel uneasy about the missing keys. I feel sick, as if I am in trouble for something awful. My parents, brother and friends have been telling me that I am overreacting. But I cannot help how I feel.

(I could not complete a single up-to-standard chest-to-bar pull up. The chest has to touch the bar. I did not know that until today. My collar bone was over the bar. However, I could not move my chest to touch the bar.

The scaled version of the workout was not hard. However, I did miss a number of reps with the 95-pound weight. I zoned out after each miss. I lost track of time.

I do not like my classmates from the competition team. They are too much. They think that they are more important than the rest of us because they can lift heavier and complete more rounds. I dislike one girl more than the rest of them. She rubbed me the wrong way today.

17 DAY 68

ARGENTINA

Active RecoveryAccumulate 500-calorie on treadmill at any speed [Scaled: accumulate 3-mile on treadmill at any speed](My lower back, ass and legs are incredibly sore from Wednesday's workout. I can barely walk. I thought that maybe running would help alleviate the muscle soreness.)

My goal for tomorrow's 17.3 is to complete 43 reps.)

Bonus / AccessoryAMRAP (5:00)Decline Sit-up{89}

​​★ / 18 / 46 / 99 / 100 / 101 / 102 / 103 / 104 / 105 / 106

17 DAY 67

WHERE IS THE LOVE?

I did not feel the love. Where is the love?

Our office hosted a grand opening party tonight. I had a lot of expectations for the party. That being said, I was disappointed. I ate a lot of the food. Though the food was okay. I was one of the first people to leave the party.

17 DAY 65

THE BEER MANAGER

The beer had arrived. We had to store the beer in the backroom. We could not fit the beer in the fridge.​1 / 9 / 12

YOU DON'T LOVE HIM; YOU'RE JUST SCARED OF BEING LONELY

Were you looking in my direction? I could not see without my glasses.

If I did not know better, I would have thought of the fateful match as a sign. But I knew better that nothing more was going to happen. We exchanged names like it was our first time meeting.​1 / 9 / 12

8 x 185 (59%) / 8 x 185 (on 2-inch plates) / 8 x 185 (on 24-inch box) / 8 x 205 (65%) (on 2-inch plate)(I walked to the rack to grab my own bar. My coach yelled across the gym. He told me to put the bar back and team up with another classmate who did not have a partner.

On the third round, my partner power cleaned the bar to his shoulder. Subsequently, I picked up the bar from his shoulder. I was standing on a box. Completing the third round of the Romanian deadlift on a box was my partner's idea.

My initial plan was to use 135, 155, 175 and 195-pound weights for the 4 rounds of the Romanian deadlift. I remembered how much I struggled with the 155-pound weight the previous time I Romanian-deadlifted in class. My plan was changed when my partner made the jump from the 135-pound weight to the 185-pound weight. I followed his lead. All of the weights felt light tonight.)

17 DAY 64

BACK IN QUEENS

And I am back in Queens.

My parents drove to the City today to help me move in to my new apartment. The migration and the follow up cleaning used up the entire day. I was a little bummed that I missed out on another squat day.

I was looking through my gym's Open leaderboard. I was not too thrilled with my placement. At the same time, my performance on each workout thus far was completely expected.

So, why so serious?

My parents left my place at approximately 9:00. I bought Chinese takeout for dinner from the next door Chinese restaurant.

One Arm Dumbbell Muscle Snatch5 x 5/arm x 50Alternate a set of bench press with a set of one arm dumbbell muscle snatch. Complete each set in 4 minutes.(I have been experiencing discomfort in my left shoulder since Thursday night's deadlift. Who knew you could hurt your shoulder from deadlifting. The irritated shoulder was even more fired up during today's bench press. I thought that my left arm was going to fall off with each press. Every rep felt heavy.)

Active Recovery / Conditioning​3-mile run on treadmill <at 8:00/mile pace>(This was more a workout for the mind than anything else.)

17 DAY 61

KING COBRA

After work, I stopped by a happy hour in Astoria, Queens. Three of my old co-workers are leaving their current job. The bar was cool. It was a bar and a billiard club. However, it was not my scene. I did not enjoy myself. I felt awkward and out of place. The friend who invited me ignored me all night.

I left the bar at around 8:00. I took the train back to Manhattan. I joined one of my Russian friend's birthday dinner. We went to The Dish in Chelsea, Manhattan. The food was really good. The portion was large. The price was reasonable. A lot of people showed up. I met a lot new people. I had a much better time.

They went out to a club after dinner. I went home. I was exhausted.

​​★

17 DAY 60

MAN ON THE MOON

Warm Up / Conditioning100 x Burpee {10:38}(My goal was to complete the 100 burpees in under 10:00.

I see a lot of volume work in my programming in the coming year.)

Rest no more than 10:00.

Warm Up / Conditioning1-mile run <at 6:44/mile pace on the treadmill>(This was manageable.)

Warm Up / Skill / StrengthBarbell Stiff-Leg Deadlift <with Smith Machine>10 x 20 (6% of Max Deadlift) (warm-up set)10 x 70 (22%) / 10 x 80 (25%) / 10 x 90 (29%)(I just found out tonight that the empty bar on the Smith Machine was 20-pound and not 15-pound. All these times, I thought that I was 5-pound weaker.